Cover Story
Protection question
At about 6 a.m. on April 2, I feel like I’m the only thing awake for miles. Yellow goldfields, tidy tips, and green grass on the Caliente Range across the valley are starting to pick up that special blend of orange and red as the sun’s first rays rise behind me. Below, Soda Lake Road…
On the up and up
Art sold here To submit art for consideration to Gala de Arte or to sign up for the gallery’s newsletter, visit theartgalanipomo.com. Drive too fast on North Thompson Road in Nipomo and you just might miss it. But right across the street from Jocko’s Steak House, there it is, a cute nondescript wood building painted…
Megan Leavey
What’s it rated? PG-13 Where’s it showing? Galaxy Megan Leavey is based on the true-life story of a young marine corporal (Kate Mara) whose unique discipline and bond with her military combat dog saved many lives during their deployment in Iraq. (116 min.) —Bleecker Street
DIY with plants
Learn to work with clay and walk away with a new home for a plant at the Ceramic Succulent Hanger Workshop with Amanda Eedle and Adriana Lemus on June 17 at The Station in SLO from 1 to 3 p.m. Participants will learn the basics of working with clay, sculpting the clay, and texturing it.…
North County Excitement
Splish, splash, taste: Tickets are on sale now for the Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival June 24, the only Central Coast festival with a zoo! Enjoy local wines, live music, craft beer, good eats, craft vendors and local artists, and give your best to the tiger (for tickets, go to atascadero.org) … Celebrate Dad at a…
A historical legend
Gain insight into the life of the famous Native American war hero Crazy Horse at a discussion of the book Crazy Horse: The Lakota Warrior’s Life and Legacy by William Matson at the SLO Barnes & Noble on June 23 at 2 p.m. Matson and Crazy Horse family members Floyd Clown and Phoenix Clown will…
Go coastal
Crave that clam chowder: The Pismo Beach Classic Car Show revs its engine this June 16 through 18 with a wicked cool street rod show plus food and drink from the sea and beyond. Also, keep an eye out for Art in the Park at the Dinosaur Caves happening on the first Sunday of every…
Royalty in Avila Beach
Hang around the water at Avila Beach at about 1 p.m. on June 25 and you just might catch a glimpse of a very famous princess. The new Polynesian Princess Moana (of Disney fame) will be sailing in just to see everyone on the Central Coast for a few hours. Tickets are $10 and allow…
My Cousin Rachel
What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth? Matinee Where’s it showing? The Palm Pick My Cousin Rachel is a suspenseful thriller that will keep you guessing throughout the movie and then continue to keep you guessing after the credits roll. Based on the 1951 novel by Daphne Du Maurier, the story follows Philip Ashley (Sam…
Worth the wait!
It’s 8:30 a.m. on Friday, June 9, and I’m near the long defunct Portola Fountain at the southern entrance to downtown San Luis Obispo where Marsh and Higuera Streets meet near Highway 101. With a satisfying thud, I watch as two workers on a hydraulic platform guide the crane-suspended piece of artist Jeffery Laudenslager’s monumental…
Wonder Woman
What’s it rated? PG What’s it worth? Full Price Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Stadium 10, Park, Galaxy (6/29/17) Pick Patty Jenkins (writer-director of Monster) directs this origin story of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who was raised as Diana, an Amazon princess trained as an unbeatable warrior on a remote island. When an American pilot…
Live Oak calling
The gateway to the summer music season is upon us! After teasing it for weeks with mentions of its stellar lineup and a few of my favorite players, the Live Oak Music Festival is finally here this Friday, June 16, through Sunday, June 18, at Camp Live Oak, nestled among oak trees in the Santa…
What do you know about Carrizo Plain National Monument?
Marcella Gelman retired “We went to the edge of it, on Shell Road. I would keep it as the size that it is or even increase the size. There aren’t that many national monuments, so what we have should be preserved.” Chris Meadows business owner “National conservancy is super important especially in a semi-urban community.…
Second mistrial declared in 2014 rape case
A SLO County jury was once again unable to decide whether to convict 32-year-old Paso Robles resident Rian Mabus for the alleged rape of a 41-year-old woman in September of 2014. The jury was unable to come to a verdict in Mabus’ second trial in connection with the alleged rape that occurred in Atascadero over…
Grover Beach to hire detective for marijuana industry
Most police detectives are used to slapping handcuffs on people who sell marijuana, but the city of Grover Beach is looking for a cop willing to work alongside them instead. The Grover Beach Police Department is looking to hire a part-time detective to help roll out the city’s medical marijuana business ordinances. Those ordinances, passed…
Part and parcel
Despite owning property over the Atascadero Groundwater Basin, 1st District SLO County Supervisor John Peschong is free to vote on groundwater management funding decisions that affect his land, officials at the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) indicated. Peschong owns a 19-acre parcel overlying an unincorporated area of the Atascadero basin, one of six water basins…
Lawsuit to slow Price Canyon aquifer exemption goes to court
A Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit demanding that state oil regulators adhere to environmental laws in reviewing an aquifer exemption for the Price Canyon oilfield is headed for a final hearing in SLO County Superior Court on June 15. The suit, filed in 2016, is seeking a court ruling to require that the state Division…
Community spirit
For Betsy Powers, there’s nowhere quite like the Santa Margarita Mobile Home Park. “It’s gorgeous, I don’t want to live anywhere else, and I couldn’t think about moving anywhere else. It’s just heaven here,” she said. Powers has lived there for the past 20 years, and she said the living conditions in the mobile home…
Former Grover Beach police officer faces manslaughter charge
San Luis Obispo County prosecutors filed another criminal charge against a former Grover Beach police officer in connection with a December 2016 dog attack that killed one person and injured another. At a June 12 hearing, Deputy District Attorney Stephen Wagner announced that the office had filed an amended criminal complaint against Alex Geiger that…
SLO parkland fund mostly stays intact
After an outpouring of opposition from residents, the SLO City Council backed off from its proposal to move $640,000 out of a fund earmarked for acquiring parkland in the North Broad neighborhood on June 1. The council voted unanimously to keep a majority of the $900,000 fund intact, with $160,000 getting moved to pay for…
Save our plains
The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County supports the protection and enhancement of public lands in our county, including the Carrizo Plain National Monument. The recent “review” ordered by the president has put the monument at potential risk. We urge that the monument be protected and preserved for future generations. Efforts to…
Morro Bay dismisses alleged Brown Act violation
With a two-page letter—and as advised by legal council—the city of Morro Bay waved away accusations of a Brown Act violation regarding its water reclamation facility. Local group Citizens for Affordable Living alleged that the City Council violated the Brown Act, which governs public meeting laws, by making a decision about the much-debated wastewater treatment…
Consequences are as real as scientific laws
Usually I view this type of commentary as one person expressing an opinion that the person has every legal right to do, wrong though I may think the conclusion. But Al Fonzi’s June 8 opinion piece (“Hypocrisy and climate hysteria”) has gone beyond the pale. First off, the author paints all of those who believe…
‘Virtual kidnapping’ scam puts Nipomo school on lockdown
Law enforcement officials quickly mobilized and locked down a Nipomo elementary school in response to the suspected kidnapping of a young girl. The only problem was there was no actual kidnapping. It began June 9, when a female Nipomo resident contacted San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office deputies to report what she believed was a…
Stand up for humanity
Californians can be proud that our state Senate has passed SB 562, the Healthy California Act. Known as Medicare for All, if the bill clears the state Assembly, all Californians will be able to choose their own medical, dental, vision, and hearing providers with no out-of-pocket costs or insurance premiums. The time is right to…
Juju-what now?
Ancient snack Chew for your health and learn more about jujube fruit and where you can find it at rockfrontranch.com. The first thing I noticed about Alisha Taff was her electric smile and bright, glowing skin. Even under the less than flattering fluorescent lights of the SLO Guild Hall, the farmer flaunted an inner radiance…
‘It Comes at Night’ offers up unexpected horror delights
IT COMES AT NIGHT What’s it rated? RWhat’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10, Galaxy Writer-director Trey Edward Shults helms this horror story about Paul (Joel Edgerton); his wife, Sarah (Carmen Ejogo); their son, Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.); and grandpa, Bud (David Pendleton), who…
The housing trap
Anybody have a refrigerator box under a plastic tarp in their backyard I can rent? My pet marmot, Carl, and I are very quiet. Bathroom privileges would be nice, but yes, I know better than to ask for kitchen privileges. It’s fine. It’s not like I can afford food anyway … or pay for utilities.…
Sip SLO like a tourist
Say what you want about the bulk of summer foodie fests (long lines, slurred speech, fights over the last piece of ceviche), but there is only one Barrels in the Plaza, this year slated for June 22 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. In my experience, this anticipated SLO wine event is always reliably chill, totally…
Bingeable: Haters Back Off
When? 2016 What’s it rated? TV-14 Where’s it available? Streaming on Netflix The opening scene in the first episode of Haters Back Off is so shockingly funny, it’ll seduce you into at least watching the rest of the episode, and probably binging the whole eight-episode series. The show opens with a grainy video of a…
Land-use politics
Our goal is to help San Luis Obispo County avoid a very expensive legal battle, a legal battle that the county is going to lose. So, I hope you, members of the county Board of Supervisors, listen to our comments with that in mind. However, these comments were written in conjunction with a world-class land-use…
Vision board for the future
Come together Check out the new Integrated Visionaries mural by Colorado-based artist David Ocelotl Garcia in real life on campus at Cal Poly’s Warren J. Baker Center for Science and Mathematics. For more information on the art, visit calpolynews.calpoly.edu or ocelotlart.com. At more than 25 feet long and popping with vibrant blues, greens, and purples,…
Roll out the barrels
A barrel of laughs: Barrels in the Plaza kicks off June 22 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Mission Plaza in Downtown San Luis Obispo, and designated drivers get half off their ticket price! Tickets include a commemorative wine glass and complimentary wine and food pairings throughout the event, which features a who’s who of…
The struggle continues
Columnist’s note: Readers often ask me why I don’t engage Mr. Fonzi’s misunderstanding of climate science. I point the perplexed to research by Dan Kahan and colleagues showing that additional facts will not cure Mr. Fonzi of his delusions. See “The Polarizing Impact of Science Literacy and Numeracy on Perceived Climate Change Risks” 2 Nature…
